May 2007 | Back to News
Program and Discussion Outcomes
April 18 - 21, San Francisco, California
At the 2007 US/ICOMOS Symposium, JCC&A chaired a panel entitled “Preservation by Interpretation: A visitor-centered approach to protecting heritage sites.” In this session, Jane Clark Chermayeff and two panelists discussed re-positioning the visitor's role to better support conservation efforts threatened by mass tourism. We asked the audience what their sites' greatest visitor challenges were. Their concerns are summarized below.
Site planners can address these challenges by focusing on the visitor in their conservation planning. Through site interpretation, planners can instill a sense of stewardship and advocacy among visitors that can help protect their sites for the future.
1. Large crowds of visitors – How do we manage such high numbers?
2. Diverse audiences – How do we fulfill varying needs and expectations?
3. Ground to cover – How do we transport visitors between points on the site?
4. Treasures to protect – How do we safeguard the site and its artifacts both short and long term?
5. Remember the residents – How do we prevent crowds of visitors from disrupting the locals’ lives and economy?
6. Many stories to tell – How do we best communicate site significance?
7. Keeping informed – How can we update visitors about the latest site news?
8. Building support – How do we raise more funding?
9. Forming a team – How do we encourage stakeholders to collaborate?
10. Defending the sites – How do we counter city guidelines that go against heritage preservation?
"We can no longer act as if the visitor is neutral.
The visitor is either someone who is going to support conservation efforts or destroy conservation efforts..."
-Jane Clark Chermayeff, BBC Radio, June 2006
Read more about ICOMOS.